As a result of restrictions against the spread of COVID 19, many fitness instructors have had to turn to online teaching in order to continue their classes. We’ve reached out to our database of over 2000 fitness professionals who are now presenting virtual workouts to share their tips for teaching online fitness classes. Here’s some of their best advice!
Teaching Tips
“Be yourself, don’t try to be every other fit pro. Be you have fun and don’t stress!” Alison Marron
“Talk to your members like you would do in Face to Face classes and be yourself… they do talk back [even if you can’t hear them] they admit it and that chat goes a very long way!” Claire Melbourne
“When I’m on Facebook Live, after the class I go back and personally answer every single comment that someone has made – it’s important to make each and every client feel special”Arleen Dingwall
“Interact before and after class, to each other and with me. It’s this experience that changes online teaching, otherwise they might as well watch a pre-recorded class. Also be goofy, playful when you teach. Get up close to the screen and let them know you are present. Name them during class and praise them. Just like any and every class you usually teach” Liz Law
“Give each class member a personal chat, remembering how they did last time you taught them. Allow chat time but address the shy, quieter members not always the dominant chatterbox, they all need to feel they are special and achieving, remember names too!” Lydia Campbell
“The chat before and after class. It’s so important to keep it social. If you can include a social class once a week with half an hour chat afterwards it’s great for building a community and also client retention. My Pilates and Prosecco and the ‘after party’ is one of my most popular classes. Also offer discounts on any new programmes you add” Ros White
“You should always talk to your class about life as well as exercise. You can always have a conversation with your class that fits in with your personality. It’s important to care about your participants.” Kardy Laguda. For more teaching tips from Kardy, click here.
Technical Tips
“Make sure you ask your members if the music is loud enough to motivate and they they can hear you clearly, whether you are wearing a mic or not” Jo Ali
“I am 100% on Zoom via router, WiFi is just so flakey. Get [someone] to check on a phone, iPad and laptop to ensure picture and sound are perfect. We have trained my clients to use Zoom and connect to their TV, speakers and ethernet connection to so that they are doing what they can from their end to get the best service possible” Helen Carpenter-Waters
“Always do a sound check for the attendees. It’s their class so they should have the best sounds” Gary Daniels
“Check their space, more so for Aerobics. I get them to move forward and back, side to side etc. Watch those arm moves too, check up and out to the side. You don’t want them to hit any ornaments or light fittings!” Sam J Mouland
“Always check your battery power on your devices and sound levels!” Wendy Barratt
Planning
“You can never send too many reminders! Even after the class. Keep asking for feedback and give them what they want. Mention people’s names, a lot” Margaret Shenken
“Always do declaration ‘participating at their own risk’ etc. I have a huge Post-it Note under my camera to remind me! I call it ‘the boring but important bit'” Caroline O’Toole
“Offer variety to keep people interested but also regular timetable for those that like the routine” Alice Ramcharran
“Chat and making them feel they are still being watched for technique. I love making sure they are accountable when the miss the live Zoom. I make sure they login and do a sweaty selfie as evidence!” Michelle Watkins
Music
“Choose music you love, choose moves you can do! and make sure people can see and hear you and best of all have a fab time!” Viv Riedlin
“For Mind/Body classes, the Pure Energy GO Pilates Intervals albums work very well, as the interval format allows you time between each exercise to go up to the screen and interact with your team” Rachel Holmes
“Use great music! Variety is key! Keeping it fresh and exciting!” Wendy Barratt
‘Be careful what music you choose, if you play copyrighted music you could end up with your video being muted half way through a class, or worse, taken down altogether! Since I started teaching online I have only used Pure Energy GO music, as it’s licence free but the quality is exceptional!’ Helen Lee
The Pure Energy GO range is totally licence free, making it perfect for online classes. With more than 50 albums in the catalogue, it covers every fitness discipline and music style. Click here to view the full range.
For more help and tips for teaching online fitness classes, join the Pure Energy MusicZone Facebook Group which is run by likeminded fitness professionals who share ideas and experiences on a daily basis.
Here are some great suggestions from HFE for Apps, tools and resources for Fitness Instructors.
